Functional Foods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Functional Foods - Essay Example The most important issue about the functional foods is the disturbance they cause in the natural mineral balance of the food products. Nature has created the consumable food products in a balanced form and no single mineral or vitamin exists in the excessive form in ordinary food materials. However, when certain vitamins and minerals are added to these food products, the natural balance is disturbed which consequently changes the nutrition value of the food. As the nutrition value of the food product is changed the intake of such foods must also be varied accordingly. Unfortunately, FDA does not put any restriction regarding the addition of nutrients to food materials. Functional foods are not treated with drugs and they can be marketed as foods without any prior permission from FDA. The only restriction that FDA puts on the manufacturers of these functional foods is regarding their advertisement and labeling; the manufacturers are required to provide all the nutrients labeled on the packing in correct proportions. Since the consumers are not aware of the use of multivitamins and additional minerals in their diet, the increasing trend of using functional foods can be harmful to the health of consumers. Some of the physicians, trainers, and physiotherapists are also unaware of the use of dietary supplements and they recommend these products to athletes and other consumers for enhancing body performance and energy levels; no such effect of these products has been observed in healthy adults. Each supplementary mineral and vitamin has specific application in human body and additional amount of these products are required in specific scenarios. Therefore the unchecked and random use of functional foods can deteriorate human health and greater amounts of these minerals could result in toxic depositions in human body. Unfortunately mineral supplements and multi vitamins are added in ordinary and everyday use foods and consumers are forced to buy and use them, thus a check and regulatory mechanism is r equired in order to ensure safe use of functional foods and dietary supplements (Thompson and Manore 187). The United States Pharmacopeial Convention is a nonprofit organization